The Cat of the Stars
by Darkpebble13
Summary: 3 kittens and their parents are accepted into Riverclan. One of them has a bigger destiny than it seems. He must stop the evil that is starting to shroud the forest... COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

The Cat of the Stars

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

PROLOGUE

Mist covered the land as night fell. Four cats sat at the edge of a small pool in a clearing surrounded by trees you could barely see through the mist. One was blue-grey with silver around her muzzle, one was a dark, hunched tom, the third was a big light-brown tom, and the last one was a black tom with a tall, white-tipped tail. The light-brown tom stepped forward, and addressed the others.

"Bluestar. Tallstar. Nightpelt. You all know what is coming. I have chosen a cat." As the tabby finished speaking, a small brown tabby cat appeared in the reflection of the water.

"Are you sure this is the one, Crookedstar?" the silver-grey one meowed. "He is so young!"

"Yes. I am sure, Bluestar." he replied. And then they all faded into the mist.

CHAPTER 1

I am a brown tabby cat named Elly, with brown fur, amber eyes, and everyone says I have a sweet temper. I am pregnant, and Midnight is my proud mate. Midnight is pitch-black with green eyes and of the quiet sort, but a nice cat once you get to know him. Pumpkin is a fat orange tabby, good-natured and the kind you'd expect to be around in time of need. We live with the Twolegs, two of them-one male, one female.

One day, our housefolk came in the room, leading something by a "leash", as the housefolk called it. And on the other end was…A DOG!! How could the housefolk _do_ that; didn't they know that dogs sometimes _eat_ cats!?! Midnight, Pumpkin, and I raced outside through the swinging flap in the wall-that- opens. The dog, horribly, went to the wall- that- opens and scratched at it, and the male housefolk actually _opened the wall- that- opens for the dog!!!_ It chased after us and pinned me down because I am slow, with the kits in my belly. I squirmed until I could see that the male housefolk had disappeared into the nest, and couldn't help us. The dog opened its mouth and its putrid breath poured over me. The dog was _huge_, and I was no match for it. The dog said, "Get out, or I will kill you. You have until sundown." The sun was getting low in the sky, so we set off, rubbing our heads against the housefolk's legs and mewing goodbye, even though we knew they wouldn't understand. We would miss them, for they had been good to us. We climbed over the fence and padded into the nearby woods.

For three suns we walked in the woods. On the forth sun, we came to a place where we might settle. It was a clearing in the woods and an abandoned barn teeming with mice bordered one side of it. A small stream trickled at the edge of the clearing. We decided to stay there, as I would have my kits soon. The barn was warm so we decided to sleep there.

A few suns later, I had my kits. Three of them, one brown, one black like Midnight, and one gray with black speckles-like my brother was. The speckled one and the black one were she-cats. The brown tabby was a tom.

We named the black one Cinder, the speckled she-cat Smolder, and the tabby tom Mouse. For three moons we stayed there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 2

Someone prodded me. "Wake up, wake up, today we're going exploring!" I opened my eyes. As usual, the warm barn was dark even though it was already light outside. A dark shape stood beside me, and as I watched it reached out a paw and prodded me again.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" It was Smolder.

I groaned. I always hated getting up early. But then I remembered- today was the day Midnight and Pumpkin were taking us exploring! I bounded out of the barn to where everyone else was waiting. Soon after we had set off, Pumpkin and Midnight stopped. Midnight had scented something. "Stop here," he meowed. "Do you smell that?" We all sniffed. I caught a faint whiff of something musky and yucky. "That's badger scent, but stale. " If you smell that when its fresh, run away as fast as you can. Badgers can kill cats." After he was done speaking, we hurried away. Cinder was scared, but Smolder and I reassured her. "If that badger comes even three tail-lengths near you, I'll bite him!" Even so, we kept looking around nervously. For the rest of the day, we explored but never went too far away from the clearing. When we got back, we looked at the stars before going to sleep. That night the stars looked like many cats all walking, sleeping, or hunting. And, that night, I had a dream.

I was outside of the barn, and it was night. I looked up, and to me the stars seemed to be moving, and as I looked closer, I could see they _were_ moving! How could that be? And as they got closer, I could see they were in the shape of cats! When they were all on the ground, one of them, a big,

light brown tabby, stepped forward.

"Hello, little one. My name is Crookedstar."

"Who-what are you" I whimpered, gazing at them.

"We are Starclan, the spirits of those who have died. I am leader of Riverclan."

"What's Riverclan?" I mewed

"Let me explain. We all live in a forest. We," he added in response to my inquiring look "are the Clans. There is Thunderclan, Windclan, Shadowclan and Riverclan. There are only cats in a clan, and we have to follow a special code called the Warrior Code. In the clan there is the leader-the most powerful cat there is, the deputy who will be the leader after the current leader dies, the warriors who hunt and fight for the clans, the apprentices who are the warriors-in-training, the medicine cat and his/her apprentice who heal the cats when they are injured, the queens and their kits, and the elders-the cats who are too old or somehow cannot continue being warriors. Each and every cat plays an important part in the survival of the clans."

Then I opened my eyes. It was light out. It must have been a dream. But, it turned out I was wrong.

The next night, Crookedstar explained to me that I was to start my training. I was to study herbs, but I wouldn't be a medicine cat. "This is to help you if something happens." At this point, another cat stepped forward. "This is Mudfur, the former medicine cat of Riverclan."

"Hello, Mouse." The brown cat meowed. "I will be your mentor." We touched noses in greeting.

"We will leave you now." meowed Crookedstar. After all the cats had gone, Mudfur spoke up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 3

Every night, for many moons, I was trained by Mudfur. Newleaf turned to Greenleaf, and Greenleaf in turn faded into Leafbare. "Your training will come in handy soon," Mudfur rasped. "What with winter coming and the animals getting hungry." And he was right. One day, Smolder, Cinder, and I went hunting. We caught some mice and voles, and went a bit farther than we intended to until we came upon a ditch. We had been told not to go near there because of the rats. Rats can really hurt cats-they have very sharp teeth and sometimes carry diseases.

"I dare you to go in there, Mouse!" Smolder meowed mischievously.

"B-but Smolder!" Cinder mewed "Think of the rats! Besides, we should really listen to Mother and Midnight-they're older than us and know more!"

"Oh, nonsense!" Smolder purred.

"I'm going in!" I mewed over my shoulder as I bounded away.

When I was going into the ditch, I punctured my pad on a thistle. "Ouch!" A couple drops of blood fell onto the ground. Attracted by the scent of blood, two rats appeared. Then, first one by one and soon more and more rats came out of nowhere. They locked their ravenous eyes to mine. Then, as one, they surged forward and attacked! Drawn by my yelps of pain, Squirrel and Cinder came bounding in. When they saw the rats they started helping me.

"There's too many!" I yowled

"Run!" Squirrel meowed. In a blind panic, and hampered by our wounds, we ran and ran until we reached the clearing. When they saw us, Elly, Midnight and Pumpkin bounded over to us.

"What happened?!" mewed Elly. After we had had panted out the story, I stood up.

"Elly, can you find some cobwebs? And Pumpkin, you and Midnight try to find some burdock root." I told them what it looked like. "After that, find poppy seed."

"What-" Pumpkin began, but I silenced him with a look.

"Now!" I snapped.

After they had brought me what I needed, I hurried around, putting cobwebs on scratches and burdock root on bites. Then, Squirrel, Cinder and I ate poppy seeds and fell asleep. After I woke up, Elly, Midnight, and Pumpkin questioned me profoundly. I told them the whole story, starting with my first dream. After I had finished, Elly gasped, "No!" and fainted.

After she woke up, Elly told us her story.

"_I was once a clan cat"_ she rasped. "_Riverclan, if I remember right. I was happy there. I had my mate, and I had my kits. But then something terrible happened…"_ At that point her voice trailed off. Her eyes had a misty look in them, as if she was remembering something from long ago. Then Cinder spoke up.

"M-mother? Are you all right?"

Elly flinched and hastily assured us. "I'm fine, little one. Now where was I? Oh, yes: _Like I said, something terrible happened. I got thrown out of the clan."_

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"_Yes. I got thrown out of the clan."_ she continued. "_I got blamed for stealing and murdering a kit. But I was innocent!!_

"How did it happen?" Squirrel cut in.

"_I met a rough cat-a cat that does not live in a clan or is a housecat but is in a group of cats that goes around attacking clans and trying to get power. Anyway, the rough cat was carrying a kit that I recognized as one of our clans. The kit was dead. He had the same colored fur as the kit's, the mottled brown that is so common in the Clans. I attacked him, and successfully drove him off. Then I carried the kit back to the clan. Upon arriving, the leader called a meeting and asked me to tell my story. I did. Then the deputy suggested that we look at my claws .The fur that was there was the warrior's, but they thought it was the kit's because it was the same color. _

_I tried to explain, but they didn't believe me. And so I got thrown out, and my leader announced at the next Gathering what I had done so that I could not join another Clan. So I ran off into the forest until I was lost, and that's how the Twolegs found me. Your father also came with me- he was my mate." _ She looked around at us.

"We'll talk tomorrow. It's getting late." Midnight meowed. So we curled up in our nests and went to sleep.

That night Mudfur came to me. "Well done, Mouse. You used the right herbs and did not hesitate. Those are good qualities in a medicine cat."

"But how did you know?" I mewed

"Starclan watches over every cat." he rasped. "Now, Mouse. The time has come for you to seek out a clan. It is up to you." He meowed. "Tell me your answer when we meet again."

The next night I was ready.

"I choose to join Riverclan." I meowed proudly, standing tall.

"Very well. I will contact the Riverclan leader and tell her that you are coming. Now, to get there, you first need to… " After explaining the directions to me he sighed.

"I will miss our nights together, Mouse."

"What? You mean we can't see each other any more? Why?" I yowled.

"Mouse, there is no need for us to meet. Your destiny is not to be a medicine cat, and since you are going to Riverclan, you no longer need the herbs to survive out here." Mudfur replied.

"B-but will we ever see each other again?" I whimpered

"Of course! I will visit you in dreams." he assured me.

"Okay" I sighed and reluctantly gave in. "All right. Bye, Mudfur." Mudfur quickly licked me between the ears. "Good-bye, Mouse." He meowed, and faded away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 4

It was hard explaining to the others that we had to go and join Riverclan.

"But I like it here! Why can't it stay like it is?" Smolder protested.

"It's our destiny!" I countered. "We have to! Besides, it _is_ Leafbare, and Mudfur told me that Riverclan is desperate for warriors and will probably take us in, even though we're roughs." Mudfur had never really told me that. I was just saying that to persuade the others.

"You and that stupid Mudfur," Squirrel spat. "I don't think he even exists! You're probably just dreaming him up. I think we should just forget this whole thing!"

"Then how did I get the herbs right after the rat attack?" I meowed

"You probably half-noticed something, like and animal using cobwebs to stop it's bleeding and your mind came up with Mudfur to teach you, or you just got lucky." she reasoned.

"Well _I _think Mouse is right!" Cinder, who was usually so timid and quiet, spoke up. "I think we need to do something with our lives. We can't stay here forever, you know. Sooner or later some badger or a Twoleg would find us and chase us off. Then we'd have to start all over again."

"She's right." Pumpkin agreed.

"Yes, she is." meowed Midnight.

"I can see the point in that, but I'm afraid that my Clan won't accept me." Elly sighed.

"We can only see." I encouraged her. "If they don't accept you, you could go live with a Twoleg." I pointed out. "That is," I backpedaled in response to the look she shot me, "if you want to."

"That is a good idea." She sighed and gave in. "I vote we go."

"Smolder, please." I pleaded. "Try it!"

"Fine!" she huffed.

"Good. Does everyone agree?"

They nodded.

"We leave at sunhigh tomorrow." I meowed.

We spent from sunrise to sunhigh the next day getting ready. I gathered herbs with Cinder, who would help me carry them. Elly and Smolder cleared away all traces of our being there. Midnight and Pumpkin were in charge of overseeing everything, and remembering the directions, in case I forgot anything or something happened to me. After double-checking everything, we set off.

The first day was hard. By the middle our paws ached and Smolder was complaining to no end. We had been pampered too much in our little clearing, and were not used to the hard traveling.

"My paws are going to drop off!" said Smolder as we stopped to rest.

"Only a bit more to go until we have to stop for the night; the sun is setting" my mother soothed her

"Uff!" I said as I flopped down next to Smolder. "I am so hungry I could eat a badger!" I mewed

"Yep" Cinder agreed

"Come on, guys. Let's go!" Pumpkin called over his shoulder

"Aww, man! I am seriously going to drop dead here!" Smolder grumbled

"Come on, Smolder, lighten up! Only 200 more miles to go, according to my calculations!" I joked

"Ugggg..." was my answer

When we finally did stop for the night, Smolder, Cinder, and I flopped down and went to sleep right after our meal. The last thing I remembered was the hushed tones of the adults conversing late into the night.

The next week continued much the same, until the day finally came when Pumpkin announced that tomorrow at around sundown we would reach our goal. The only problem was this: how would we introduce ourselves to Riverclan without being torn apart by a patrol? I could only hope that Mudfur had successfully contacted the Riverclan leader for us.

Just as Pumpkin had predicted, we reached the Riverclan border just after when the sun was setting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 5

We entered Riverclan Territory. "Wow, the trees are so tall here!" Cinder exclaimed

"Dare you to climb one, Mouse!" Smolder mewed mischievously

"OK!" I took the bait.

I crouched on the ground, bunched my hindquarters, and sprang up onto the first branch.

"Go higher!" Cinder mewed up to me

So I did, jumping onto the second and third branch. I was up high, but not so high that I couldn't jump down if I needed to. I was suddenly dark out. I looked up. The stars were beautiful. Then I looked back down. Just then my eye spotted movement below me. 5 cats were creeping up on everyone.

"Pumpkin!" I yelled "A patrol is surrounding you!"

A look of fear came over his face.

Just then the leader of the patrol yelled "Attack!"

The ground below me became a mass of writhing, screeching cats. All of a sudden, I noticed a big black and white tom standing over Cinder, who was cowering. He prepared to give the lethal bite.

"No!" I yowled, and launched from the tree onto his back

"The cat that falls from the stars!" a tortoiseshell she-cat wailed

Then more cats joined the fight against us, flocking to the sound of fighting

Suddenly a dappled golden she-cat yowled "Stop! These are the cats from my dream!"

All fighting stopped. The warriors formed a circle around us, making sure we wouldn't escape.

"Who are you? What are you doing in our territory?" she demanded

"I am Mouse, my siblings are Cinder and Smolder, these are my parents Midnight and Elly, and this is Pumpkin." I said hurriedly. "We have come to join your Clan."

"Elly, you say? You look familiar..." Suddenly her eyes widened "Birchfoot? Is that you?" she exclaimed

My mother sighed "Yes, it is me."

"And Nightfur!" She said, indicating Midnight. "Where have you been? After you left we found a rough that had the kit's fur in his claws, and so we knew that you were telling the truth! I am so sorry."

'How is Crookedstar? Did he get over the whitecough at last?" Elly asked

The she-cat sighed, and her eyes clouded with sorrow. "No Birchfoot, I'm sorry. Crookedstar lost his final life a moon ago."

" He was my mentor." Elly mewed sadly. "So you're Leopardstar now! Congratulations!" she suddenly exclaimed

"Yes. So these are your kits, huh? They would make good apprentices" Leopardstar mused. "How old are you?" she asked Cinder

"F-five moons." Cinder stammered.

"Ok. You should come back to camp so we can decide what to do with you. Birchfoot? Do you think they will be able to cross the river on their own, or should we carry them?"

"Carry them, I think. I'll take Cinder." Elly replied

"All right. Mistyfoot, take Smolder, and Mosspelt, take Mouse." Leopardstar decided. "Lets go."

Mosspelt came over to me.

"Wow, you're small for five moons, I think I can carry you ok." she said to me

Mosspelt picked me up and then we were running over to the river that we had heard earlier. When we came to the river, Mosspelt just jumped in. I squealed as my fur got soaked with freezing-cold water. Mosspelt was swimming fiercely, paws churning the water. But I was weighing her down, and for a second I thought we were going to be swept past the bank, but we just barely made it over to the sand. Mosspelt shook the water from our fur, and then we were running again, even faster now because us kits were wet and cold. Thankfully everyone had made it over ok, with a little help from the Riverclan cats. We finally made it over to the Riverclan camp, which was a piece of land in between two streams.

"Wow, is that the Riverclan camp?" I asked "Do you have to swim across the river every day?"

"Yes, that is the camp. No, we do now have to swim across all the time. See, there is that narrow strip of land that connects the camp to the mainland."

"Oh, I see." I mewed in awe. There were so many cats here, doing all sorts of things. They all looked up when Leopardstar, who was obviously their leader, came in. I heard surprised murmurings when they spotted us, and one small brown tabby tom called out to us.

"Leopardstar, who's that? What are those kittypets doing here?"

"Hush Voletooth." Said a cat beside him.

Leopardstar jumped up on a big rock and yowled "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Cats from everywhere came and settled beneath the Highrock, eager to know what the meeting was about.

"Today I found a group of cats on our territory." Leopardstar started. We heard a hiss from somewhere in the crowd. "After asking who they were they said that they have come to join our Clan. Apon further inspection, I realized that two of the three adults were Birchfoot and Nightfur!" At this there were yowls of happiness, although there were still a few hisses of outrage. "I ask you this, my clan- what shall we do with these cats? Should Birchfoot and Nightfur be accepted back into our clan?" There were many 'yes's at this. But suddenly a cat called out, the same brown tom that had called out before, Voletooth.

"This is outrage! Are we going to accept kittypets into our clan, and murderers too? Are we like Thunderclan and that Firestar?"

"I thought we had been over this before, Voletooth. Birchfoot did not kill the kit, the rough did." Leopardstar said calmly

"I still don't believe her!" Voletooth yowled angrily. "I don't think she should be coming and whining back to us for a place to stay!"

"Voletooth, you forget that I have had a dream from Mudfur saying that he has trained and watched over one of the kits, and that they need to be accepted back into the clan! Remember the prophecy!" she hissed. Voletooth fell silent.

Leopardstar turned to the blue-grey cat beside her "What do you think, Mistyfoot?" she asked

Mistyfoot replied "I think they should stay, too. We need more warriors with the coming of Leafbare."

I whispered to my mother "Who's Mistyfoot?"

My mother replied "Mistyfoot's the deputy, Leopardstar's second-in-command, and the one who will be leader after Leopardstar dies."

"Oh." I mewed

Leopardstar spoke again. "Now, is there anyone else that objects to them joining the clan?" She glared at Voletooth. No one spoke.

"Good, then it is decided. They will join the clan." She jumped down. "Birchfoot, you and your kits stay in the nursery until they are six moons old and can become apprentices. You, Nightfur and Pumpkin, can stay beneath that ash tree over there. Now you all should go to Mothwing to get something for those scratches. Then go get some rest. I will be in my den." she said, and walked off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 6

It was a moon since we had first joined the clan. It had been hard learning the clan's ways and, most of all, getting the clan's trust. I had no one to play with in the nursery because the other kits' mothers told them to stay away from us.

"Calm down, Mouse, you have enough energy to fire 5 squirrels!" Elly- no, Birchfoot meowed, exasperated. "I'm almost done!"

Birchfoot was grooming my fur, for today was the day that I would become an apprentice!

"There, I'm done!" she meowed, and then called over Cinder and started grooming her, too. Just as she finished, the call went out.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

We all went out of the nursery to sit beneath the Highrock.

"Today we are here to celebrate 5 ceremonies." Leopardstar went on. I looked at Smolder, puzzled. We knew that there was another kit going to be made into apprentices with us, but who would be in the fifth ceremony? My puzzlement was forgotten however, as Leopardstar called us forward

"Mouse, Cinder, Smolder, and Pebblekit, come here." We stepped forward, along with a small gray tom that we had seen before in the nursery. "From this day forward" Leopardstar meowed, staring down at us "until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Mousepaw. Rippletail," a dark gray tabby tom stepped forward. "you were Reedwhisker's apprentice. He has taught you well, and you have become a strong and loyal warrior. I hope you pass on these qualities to your Mousepaw." We touched noses. I was afraid he wouldn't like me, but that fear disappeared when I saw the friendly glimmer in his eyes. "Good job." He murmured to me.

Next was Cinder. She became Cinderpaw. Her mentor was Ivytail. Then was Smolder, who became Smolderpaw. Her mentor was Swallowtail. Last was Pebblekit, now Pebblepaw. His mentor was Hawkfrost, a dark brown tabby tom with piercing blue eyes. As soon as I looked at him, I felt my neck prickle. That cat was bad news.

After naming Pebblepaw, Leopardstar meowed again. "We have one more ceremony to perform. Pumpkin, come forward." I gasped. "Pumpkin, you have expressed an interest in becoming a warrior, is that true?"

"Yes" he replied

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name, Orangestripe. You are now a full warrior of Riverclan."

Then the cats started chanting our names. "Mousepaw! Cinderpaw! Smolderpaw! Pebblepaw! Orangestripe! Mousepaw! Cinderpaw! Smolderpaw! Pebblepaw! Orangestripe!

Then Rippletail came up to me. "Hello, Mousepaw." He said

"H-hello, Rippletail." I stammered. "When are we going to start training?"

"Tomorrow. Now you should try to get some sleep." He meowed

"Ok!" I said, sprinting off in the direction of the apprentices' den.

"Hi, you must be Mousepaw!" a black and white spotted she-cat with green eyes said as I came in to the den. "I'm Grasspaw, and this is Beechpaw" she motioned to the light brown tom beside her. "We just became apprentices a couple days ago."

"Hey look, Foggypaw. There's that kittypet!" said the golden she-cat on the other side of the den.

"Hey, he's not a kittypet, his parents were Clan-born and, anyway, he was born in the forest a half-moon's run from here!

"Do you hear something, Daisypaw?" asked the gray she-cat beside her

"No, it's probably just an annoying mosquito." answered the Daisypaw. "Let's go, I don't want to be in the same den as a kittypet!" she sneered

"Who're they?" I asked

"Oh, they're Foggypaw and Daisypaw .Don't mind them. They think they know everything because they're going to be made warriors soon." meowed Grasspaw scornfully.

"Hey, Mousepaw!" said Cinderpaw and Smolderpaw as they walked in. "Who're these guys?"

"These are my friends Grasspaw and Beechpaw. Grasspaw, Beechpaw, these are my sisters Cinderpaw and Smolderpaw." I introduced them

"Oh, we saw you at the ceremony! Congratulations!" Grasspaw meowed excitedly.

"Thanks." mewed Cinderpaw shyly.

"Man, I'm tired." I yawned

"You can come sleep by us, there's room." offered Beechpaw

I quickly found a patch of moss next to Grasspaw and settled down with Cinderpaw on my other side and Smolderpaw next to her. I fell asleep almost immediately, wondering what the next day- my first day of training- would be like.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wanted to remind you that in this story nothing in The New Prophecy ever happened. The Twolegs did not tear up the forest. However, Mothwing and Hawkfrost still joined Riverclan. Ok? Good. On with the story...**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 7

The next day I was woken up by a prod to my side. I opened my eyes and saw Grasspaw standing there.

"Come on, you don't want to be late for your first day of training!" she mewed

Remembering that I was going to train today, I was instantly up on my paws and out eating a mouse from the fresh-kill pile before Grasspaw had time to blink.

"Okay, Mr. I'm going to practice catching rabbits before I even get out of the camp." I heard her grumble and twitched my whiskers. I looked up to see Rippletail coming towards me.

"Hey, Rippletail, what are we going to do today?" I mewed excitedly as I crunched up the last of the mouse.

"We're going to tour the territory with Grasspaw and Hollytail."

"Who's Hollytail?" I asked

"She's Grasspaw's mentor." he said distractedly. "Oh, there they are. Let's go."

First they took me to the border with Thunderclan. "Smell." Rippletail told me. I smelled, and detected the scent of other cats, but they didn't smell like the fishy-smell of Riverclan. It smelled like the musty smell of the forest. "Is that Thunderclan?" I asked

"Yes, it is, the border is right across the river." Rippletail mewed. Then we traveled along the river until I suddenly smelled a new scent, like the marsh grasses. "What's that new scent?" I inquired. "That's Windclan, who live on the moors."

"Where's the fourth clan?" I asked

"Shadowclan lives across the Windclan and Thunderclan territory. You'll meet them at the Gathering." By now I was so tired I could barely stand.

"Let's go back, Mousepaw's tired." Hollytail observed. I was grateful to her. We got into camp when the sun was setting. After I picked up a fish at the fresh-kill pile, I went to the de and fell asleep.

The next day was fighting practice. Rippletail took me to the clearing where we would do fighting practice. "Attack me." he ordered. I circled him, deciding where to pounce. I decided that I would go under his feet and try to trip him. I bunched my muscles and jumped at him, sliding under his forelegs to make him fall over. "Good," he huffed as he got up. "But be prepared for the counterstrike." he swung a heavy forepaw at he, knocking me off balance. Then we began anew. "Attack me." he meowed once again. I leaped in the air and tried to come down on his shoulders. But he dodged to the side and I fell to the ground. He jumped on top of me. "Well done, but your eyes betrayed where you were going to land. Now get me off of you." Suddenly I had an idea. I struggled a bit, but then flipped over on my back as a sign of defeat, showing my stomach. "Next time don't give up so easily." Rippletail said, loosening his grip. "What you need to do is-" but he was cut off as I suddenly brought up my hind legs and pushed him in the stomach, knocking him in the air. He handed hard a couple tail-lengths away. "Very good. Surprise your opponent." he praised. I positively glowed.

Then he said "I'm going to teach you how to hunt now. This is the proper stalk for a mouse." he said. I tried to imitate him. "Almost. Put your hindquarters over to the side a little. That's good." We did the bird stalk and the rabbit stalk. "Tell me why you have to be so light when you do the rabbit stalk." he said. I thought a moment and then said "Because the rabbit will hear your footsteps if they're not light?"

"Exactly." Then he noticed the sun's position in the sky. "Oh, wow, it's late, and I have to be on a patrol! You go hunting for a bit and see what you can catch." he told me. "If you do get anything, give it to the elders, ok?"

"All right." I replied. I went off and promptly caught the scent of a mouse. I crept up on it using the technique Rippletail taught me. I got close, paused, and then pounced! I caught it and killed it with one swift bite. I caught a thrush and another mouse in a short time. Then I headed back to the camp. I gave one mouse and the thrush to the elders. When I entered the den Heavystep croaked "Are those for us?" I nodded. "Thanks" he said, and the elders ate them. I left to give the remaining mouse to the medicine cat Mothwing. Mothwing was the most beautiful cat I had ever seen. I came up to her and she turned her beautiful golden head towards me.

"This is for you." I mewed, putting the mouse down in front of her.

"Thank you, Mousepaw." she said.

"What's that?" I asked, noticing the green leaves and red berries she was sorting.

"The leaves are yarrow, which helps cats throw up if they ate something bad. The berries are juniper, which is good for lots of things." She said, and was cut off as Dawnflower came up to her. "Mothwing! My kits are sick and I don't feel good either. They just came back from wandering outside and I'm worried that they ate something!" Immediately Mothwing was at her side. "They went out alone? Without any warriors?" she demanded.

"Y-yes." Dawnflower replied.

"Bring them to me." she ordered. When Dawnflower brought them, she tried to heal them. One kit, Minnowkit refused to take the medicine. Another kit, a she-cat named Pinekit died. Suddenly Mothwing's eyes met mine.

"Mousepaw? Get Leafpool from Thunderclan. I need her help. Tell her to bring yarrow."

"Ok." I replied. I sped off, and swam the river hurriedly. I emerged on Thunderclan territory. I charged through the forest, following the scents of cats. I ran into the camp and was immediately jumped on by a couple apprentices. Suddenly a big fiery-orange tom came up to me. "What are you doing on our territory?" he demanded. I panted out my story. "Kits are sick-Mothwing needs help-Leafpool." A brown she-cat came up.

"What's wrong with the kits?" she asked

"No time-come-bring yarrow." I forced out.

"All right. Show me the way." she said after she had got yarrow. We ran and ran, crossed the river, and ran some more. We finally came to the camp.

"Mothwing!" I called

"Leafpool." she said, hurrying over to us. "Hurry, one kit is already dead, and one kit won't take the medicine." she said. "Willowkit is helping." Suddenly we heard a choking noise behind us. Tumblekit was choking on the yarrow leaves, and we were too far away to get him. Willowkit was beside him. As we watched, she reached a paw in his mouth and removed the obstruction. "Willowkit, you saved Tumblekit's life!" I mewed happily, scrambling over. Leafpool treated the kits and we heard the story of how it happened. It was Minnowkit who told us.

"_My siblings and I were tired of being stuck in the nursery all day, so we decided to go out and explore."_ Minnowkit started. "_We snuck out behind the nursery. We explored for a long time, and then we found this puddle of green stuff behind the Twolegplace. We were curious. We drank it." _I heard a gasp from Mothwing. "_Then Pinekit started feeling sick, so we came back here."_ She looked up at us innocently. "Am I in trouble?" she asked us.

"That is for Leopardstar to decide." meowed Mothwing sternly. Then she turned to Leafpool. "Thank you, Leafpool. How can I repay you?" Leafpool laughed. "Oh, Mothwing, no need to repay me. It's what medicine cats do!" Then she walked off, back to her clan.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 8

The next day I learned how to catch fish. Rippletail was teaching me. "Position yourself so that your shadow does not fall over the water, else the fish will be scared away. Then when you see a good one, quickly flash your paw in the water and scoop out a fish! Like this" he said, and suddenly his paw flashed into the water and scooped out a fish. "Wow." I commented. "Now you try." he meowed. So I tried. The first time I missed, but the second time I caught one! "Good, you're a natural." Rippletail praised.

That night there was a Gathering, the third in the time that I had been here, although I had never before gone to one. "Rippletail, Mistyfoot, Voletooth, Swallowtail, Stonestream, Smolderpaw, Cinderpaw, Grasspaw, and Mousepaw will go." Leopardstar called out. My heart leaped with joy. I was going to a Gathering! The named cats assembled by the river. Finally, Leopardstar went to the front with her deputy Mistyfoot beside her, and we went off. We swam the river and raced over to Fourtrees. I came into the clearing and gasped. There must have been 50 cats gathered around the four huge oaks, and Shadowclan hadn't even arrived yet! We paused at the top of the rise, and the raced down into the clearing. Rippletail caught up to me and mewed "This is a good time to get to know how your enemies think." I nodded, and suddenly ran into Grasspaw, knocking her over.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you big furball!" she laughed. "Come on, lets go meet some Thunderclan apprentices over there!"

We came up to a group of Thunderclan apprentices. "Hi" Grasspaw meowed. "I'm Grasspaw and this is Mousepaw."

"Hi" mewed a pretty white she-cat. "I'm Whitepaw from Thunderclan. And this is Crowpaw from Windclan. You're that apprentice they accepted into the clan a couple moons ago, aren't you?

"Yep- oh look, the Gathering's starting!" I said. There were four cats up on the big rock, one of the Leopardstar. I assumed the others were the leaders of the other three Clans.

On was a big ginger tom, another was a large white tom with big black paws, and the last one besides Leopardstar was a brown tabby tom. Grasspaw whispered to me

"The ginger one is Firestar, leader of Thunderclan, the one next to him with the black paws is Blackstar, leader of Shadowclan, and the brown one is Onestar, leader of Windclan." Onestar stepped forward and started.

"Windclan is doing well. Whitetail has just had her kits, Frostkit, and Blizzardkit, and we have a new apprentice with us today, Rabbitpaw." Heads turned to a small brown she-cat that sat flicking her ears with nervousness. "But," Onestar continued "we have been scenting Shadowclan numerously on our territory. Why is that, Blackstar?"

Blackstar answered "We have been having many warrior ceremonies lately, and so we have been traveling to the Moonstone frequently. Surely you will not deny us right to go to the moonstone?"

"Of course not." Onestar meowed. "But if my warriors catch you doing anything but traveling to the Moonstone on our territory, you will be chased off."

"Understood." Blackstar replied. Dipping his head, Onestar stepped back and sat down, signifying that he was done. Blackstar was next. "My Clan is doing well..." he went on. Then it was Firestar's turn. "Hunting is good on our territory..."

Then, finally, it was Leopardstar's turn. "Riverclan is thriving. We have new kits in the nursery, and have just accepted Birchfoot, Nightfur, their kits, and their friend Orangestripe back into the clan."

Blackstar looked shocked. "But Leopardstar, I thought that they had killed a kit!"

"No, we later found out they did not. They were gone for many moons, during which time they had three kits, who are here today as apprentices- Cinderpaw, Smolderpaw, and Mousepaw." I crouched down lower as all heads turned towards us and then breathed a sigh of relief as the attention was brought back to Leopardstar. Leopardstar finished up and we went back to camp. Leopardstar called a meeting and said that everything went well at the Gathering. After that I was so exhausted that I curled up in the den with my denmates and went to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So don't sue me.**

CHAPTER 9

The next day Grasspaw, Rippletail, Hollytail, Leopardstar, Voletooth, and I went on the sunhigh patrol along the Windclan border.

"I always hate going by the falls, it's scary!" Grasspaw complained.

"Oh, Grasspaw, stop complaining." Hollytail mewed

"Fine." she huffed. "Come on, Mousepaw. Let's go ahead!" she meowed, and bounded away.

"Coming!" I called after her. We ran ahead, leaping over logs and skidding in the puddles. It was Greenleaf, and had rained recently. Suddenly Grasspaw stopped. "Smell that!" she whispered. I did.

"Windclan!" I hissed. "Let's spy on their patrol!" We crept up on them.

"... once the other group attacks the Thunderclan camp, we will take over the Thunderclan territory!" a big black cat was saying. We looked at each other, our eyes wide. Suddenly the wind changed, blowing our scent towards them. "What's that smell?" a tabby she-cat meowed suddenly. We had no choice but to launce ourselves at them. I jumped and landed on the back of a tortoiseshell she-cat. She yowled, and wriggled out from under me. She whipped around, clawing me on the flank. I slashed out at her, and gave her a good bite that sent her running. I turned suddenly and meowed to Grasspaw.

"Go get the patrol and tell them that the camp is being attacked!" she nodded, and dashed away. The breath was suddenly knocked out of me as the big black tom that had been speaking earlier landed on me. I hissed as his claws dug into my back. I twisted around and bit down hard on his foreleg. He yowled as I heard the bone break. He limped off as fast as he could. When they saw the leader of the patrol go running, the other three cats hissed at me, but retreated also. Just then, the rest of our patrol burst into the clearing, panting. "I drove them off." I gasped. "Very good, Mousepaw." said Leopardstar. "Now we need to get back to camp." We set off running as fast as we could, hoping that we would get there in time. We burst into camp.

"Windclan is attacking!" yowled Leopardstar, leaping onto the Highrock. "Elders and kits get into the nursery! Hollytail, Stonestream, you guard them!" They jumped up and did as told. "Everyone be ready for the-" Suddenly a wave of cats burst into the camp. "Attack!" Leopardstar yowled, and jumped off the Highrock. The clearing turned into a writhing mass of yowling, screeching cats. I bowled over a white she-cat. She hissed and raked her claws down my side, her white fur stained with blood. I leaped and bit her neck. She wriggled out from under me and sped away. I looked around and saw Smolderpaw and Cinderpaw attacking a huge tabby tom. The tom was batting them away like they were flies. I leaped and landed on the back of his neck, digging my claws in. "Do it like this!" I called out to Smolderpaw and Cinderpaw as the tom ran around with me still on his back. "Go horsie!" I cried, and jumped off. Then a ginger apprentice ran into me. I spun around and lashed out with my claws. He hissed and spun around, giving me a nasty bite on my foreleg. I pinned him down, and gave him a bite. I meant to just warn him, but he squirmed, and I accidentally bit down harder than I meant to, and killed him. I backed away, horrified at what I had done. it was the first time I had killed. We were driving Windclan back, bit by bit. Suddenly I saw Leopardstar grappling with Onestar. She gave him a bite and a scratch, and sent him running. Then all the other cats turned and fled. We had won!

Leopardstar sighed. "Is anyone dead?" she asked "Yes, Leopardstar. Stonestream and Greenflower." Mothwing mewed sadly.

"We will mourn their deaths." Leopardstar meowed. Mothwing went and gave me herbs for my wounds. Then Splashpaw came up to me. "Leopardstar wants to see you and Grasspaw in her den." she mewed. Looking bewildered, we went. Leopardstar greeted us.

"You have fought well today. Tomorrow I will make you warriors." she said. We looked at each other, overjoyed. "But what about Cinderpaw and Smolderpaw?" I asked her. "Smolderpaw will become a warrior in a quarter moon," she replied "Cinderpaw, however, has shown signs of wanting to become a medicine cat."

"She never did like fighting." I remembered.

"Thank you, Leopardstar" Grasspaw mewed. We trudged wearily to the den, and fell asleep.

**A/N: What do you think Grasspaw and Mousepaw's warrior names should be? Review and tell me your answer. I was thinking about:**

**Grasspelt or Grassflower**

**Mousepelt**

**I would be glad for any other suggestions, though!**

**Oakfoot**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So no stealing!**

CHAPTER 10

The next day, Leopardstar called a meeting. "Come forward" she called to us. We came. First up was Cinderpaw. "Cinderpaw, you have expressed an interest in becoming a medicine cat, is that true?"

"Yes." Cinderpaw replied. "Then by the powers of Starclan, I pronounce you a medicine cat apprentice. Mothwing will be your mentor." they touched noses. Then Leopardstar turned to us. "Grasspaw and Mousepaw fought well in the battle yesterday. They were the ones who first spotted the backup group from Windclan. They also warned me in time to get back to the camp. Rippletail, Hollytail, do you believe these apprentices are ready to become warriors?"

"Yes, they are." Rippletail and Hollytail meowed in union.

"I, Leopardstar of Riverclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Grasspaw, Mousepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do" Grasspaw replied, her emerald eyes gleaming.

"I do" I meowed, echoing her.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warriors names: Grasspaw, from this moment on you will be known as Grasspelt. Starclan honors your loyalty and quick-thinking., and we welcome you as a full warrior of Riverclan." Leopardstar stepped forward and rested her muzzle on Grasspelt's head. Grasspelt licked her shoulder. Then it was my turn. "Mousepaw, from this moment you will be known as Mouseclaw. Starclan honors your courage and bravery and we welcome you as a full warrior of Riverclan." She again stepped forward and put her muzzle on my head. I licked her shoulder. The clan started chanting. "Mouseclaw, Grasspelt! Mouseclaw, Grasspelt!" Then Leopardstar spoke up again. "By tradition, you will have to sit vigil and watch the clan overnight. But before you start, we will have a meal." She jumped down.

I beamed. I was a warrior at last! I went over to the fresh-kill pile with Grasspelt in tow. The clan gathered around us, congratulating us on our new names. I picked up a mouse, and Grasspelt a vole. "I guess we take it over to the _warriors_ side of camp now!" Grasspelt mewed with a gleam in her eyes.

"I'll be over in a sec, I just want to do something first. Take my mouse, will you?" I asked. I had noticed that Smolderpaw had been avoiding me. I looked around and spotted her. "Smolderpaw, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"Shouldn't you be on the _warriors_ side now?" she hissed, turning away.

"Smolderpaw, please don't be jealous!" I pleaded. "Please. Remember when we were kits, and you said that we would never be mad at each other if one got something before the other did?"

"Yeah, but if I had been in that battle, I would be a warrior too!" she retorted. "But _no_, it's my big brother who gets all the glory, my big brother who's in the spotlight!"

"But I'm only a minute or two older than you! And you're older than Cinderpaw! Besides, I talked to Leopardstar, and she said that you're ceremony would be in a quarter-moon."

"Really?" Smolderpaw asked, turning towards me again. "Thank you. I really don't want to get mad at you, but I feel so... left out."

"I wish you could have been made a warrior with me, I really do. Now I have to go, and you should eat and go to bed. It's been a long day." I went back over to Grasspelt.

"What was that about?" she inquired, worry in her eyes.

"Oh, Smolder was just jealous of me being made a warrior before her. Thanks for waiting for me."

"Sure. Now, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Grasspelt joked.

"What's a horse?" I feigned confusion

"Oh, never mind!" she rolled her eyes.

That night we watched over the camp. We huddled close together because the nights were cold. And every time our fur brushed, I felt a strange tingle in my paws, but I brushed it off. 'It's the cold' I thought.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So no stealing!**

CHAPTER 11

Several moons passed. Smolderpaw became Smolderfire. Cinderpaw was now Cinderfoot. Grasspelt and I were growing closer, but I still hadn't admitted my feelings to her.

It had been another long day. I curled up in the den and went to sleep. I opened my eyes and found I was standing at Fourtrees. At first I was confused, but then I realized that I was in a dream. Then Mudfur appeared in front of me.

"Mudfur!" I exclaimed, trying to rush over to him. But my paws couldn't move. Then Mudfur spoke. "Remember, Mouseclaw. Hawk eats mouse."

"What do you mean?" I cried, but he was gone.

I awoke to see Beechfur, who had also recently become a warrior, standing over me. "You were mewing in your sleep." he meowed. "Is anything wrong?"

"No." I replied. "Just a bad dream." I mulled over it in my head. 'Hawk eats mouse... Hawk eats mouse...' well, my name is _Mouse_claw, so who had Hawk in their name? Hawkfrost! I never liked that cat.' I thought to myself. 'Something's fishy about him.' I realized that my belly was rumbling with hunger, so I went out hunting. It wasn't quite sunrise yet, so there were no cats around camp. I crept out, and immediately pinpointed a water vole. Just as I was going to pounce, a voice came to my ears. The water vole ran away. I decided to see what was going on.

I crept up, hidden by some ferns. What I saw almost made me gasp. Hawkfrost was sitting in a clearing talking to the Windclan deputy! "You said that you would kill him!" hissed Hawkfrost. "B-but..." started Weaselfur.

"Just because Ashfoot died and Onestar made you deputy doesn't mean that you slack off!" spat Hawkfrost. "Next time kill Mouseclaw and his siblings! Remember the prophecy."

I was horrified. Why would someone want to kill me? And what prophecy was he talking about? I suddenly realized that Weaselfur had left, and Hawkfrost was getting up to leave. I ran away, back to camp. I ran into the den and curled up just as Hawkfrost walked in. He looked down at me. A little bit later I got up and stretched, pretending that I had just got up.

Grasspelt walked over to me. "Want to go hunting?" she asked. "Sure." I mewed. "Just let me eat something first. After I had eaten, we went out. "Let's go hunt by the stream." Grasspelt mewed. I agreed. We caught a mouse and some fish, and then both crept up on a water vole at the same time. We leaped at the same moment, bonking our heads against each other. "Oof!" exclaimed Grasspelt, swinging her sheathed paw at me. We laughed and play-fought together. I finally pinned her down. Then an idea came to me.

"Grasspelt?" I mewed tentatively. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked me.

"Grasspelt, I- I love you." I finally admitted it. I looked up. Her eyes were sparkling as she meowed back. "Oh, Mouseclaw, I love you, too." I felt a great joy bubble up in me. I stretched over and rubbed my muzzle against hers. She purred. We traveled back to camp together with our prey, our tails intertwined. Beechfur looked up in surprise as we came in to the camp, and then he smiled. "Sure took you long enough." he purred, coming over. That night we curled up together, and the last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was the warmth of her fur against mine.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So no stealing!**

CHAPTER 12

The next morning I woke up feeling very happy. Grasspelt had dawn patrol, so she wasn't in the den. I stretched. Then a feeling of doom hit me. Hawkfrost! I had to tell Leopardstar about him! I went out and quickly spotted Leopardstar. "Leopardstar?" I mewed. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." she turned to me. "Meet me in my den." I walked with her. "So," she meowed, sitting down. "What do you want to talk to me about?" I told her the story of what happened yesterday. "Mouseclaw, before you go, I want to tell you something." Leopardstar suddenly spoke up. "About the prophecy- I think I should tell you about it. One night, about a half-moon before you came, Crookedstar came to me in my dreams. He had a prophecy for me. '_When the hawk's shadow starts to cover the forest, the cat that falls from the stars will come and save to Clan.'_ When our patrol first came upon you, you were up in the tree, is that correct?" I nodded. "When you launched out of the tree it looked like you fell from the stars, for the brightest star in the sky was right above you and it shone around you as you fell."

"So that's what Spottedtail meant when she said 'the cat that falls from the stars'." I mused.

"Yes. Now we need to keep an eye on Hawkfrost, ok? You and I. It's our secret." I nodded. "Good. Go now." I dipped my head to her and went out.

It was a moon since I had talked with Leopardstar. I was in the camp when Hawkfrost suddenly burst into the camp. I narrowed my eyes at him- until I saw who he carried. "Cinderfoot! No!" I cried, running up to him. "What happened?" I yowled.

"I'm sorry, Mouseclaw. I found her by the Windclan border. She's dead."

"No, Cinderfoot!" I yowled at the sky. Smolderfire suddenly appeared at my side.

"Oh, Cinderfoot. We're going to miss you." she murmured, pressing her nose into Cinderfoot's fur as Hawkfrost set her down in the middle of camp. That night I grieved for her, sitting vigil at her side. There were other cats around me, but I barely noticed them. I saw our parents and Mothwing at one point,. but it was all blurred. Even Grasspelt could give me little comfort. All that mattered was Cinderfoot, and she was dead. I suddenly felt fury towards Hawkfrost. He had killed her, I was sure of it! I vowed I was going to kill him, no matter what it took.

"For you, Cinderfoot." I whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer- I do not own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. However, I do own the plot and some characters. So no stealing!**

CHAPTER 13

The next day I went out hunting, I think, to try to get rid of my sorrow. I came to the river, and what I saw stopped me in my tracks- the river was flooded, and the water was creeping towards the camp! I ran back to the camp, and hurried over to Leopardstar.

"Leopardstar" I gasped. "The river is flooding! The camp is going to be underwater soon!" At this Leopardstar suddenly took action. "Everyone come to the Highrock now!" she yowled. "The camp is going to be flooded! Kits, elders, and sick cats go to the hill in the middle of our territory! Everyone else... follow them after you have made sure that they are all out! Mistyfoot, Mouseclaw, and Rippletail! Help them to the hill." we nodded and began herding them.

"What's happening!" squeaked a kit.

"It'll be fine." assured Mistyfoot. We finally got to the hill.

"Okay, everyone on top of the hill." Rippletail meowed. "Mouseclaw, stay here and guard them!" he turned to go.

"Rippletail, wait." I mewed. "Can you make sure that Grasspelt is safe for me?"

He gave me an inquiring look but replied "Yes." then he ran off.

Eventually everyone got to the hill. We could only watch as our camp was submerged in water- as all our hard work drifted away. Suddenly I heard a kit's voice crying. A mat of reeds swept be me, and on it was perched- a kit? I gathered my haunches up and sprang in the air, landing right in front of the mat. I picked the kit up in my jaws, just as the mat broke. I swam, with some difficulty, back to the hill.

"What is that?" asked an apprentice. I pushed and shoved my way through the cats until I reached Mistyfoot. She stopped when she saw the bundle in my mouth.

"Who's is it?" she asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "It was drowning, and-" I was cut off by a scream from Dawnflower. "Brushkit? Where is Brushkit?" I bounded over to her.

"Is this Brushkit?" I asked, setting him down in front of her.

"Oh, Brushkit, you found Brushkit!" she cried, covering the kit with licks. "Oh, thank you!"

"It was no problem." I meowed, backing away.

The flood waters died down after a while. We cautiously went back to camp. I gasped. The devastation was horrible! Dens were torn apart, moss scattered everywhere. Immediately Mistyfoot took charge. "Minnowpaw, Thistlepaw, go find some brambles or thistles to block the gaps in the camp wall with! Beechfur, you and Mosspelt weave sticks to repair the nursery and elder's den so they can have a place to rest. Everyone else, clean up the best you can!"

The Gathering was in a few suns. "And the cats that will go are... Nightfur, Mouseclaw, Grasspelt, Hollytail, Voletooth, Minnowpaw, Thistlepaw, and Daisyleaf." I growled at Daisyleaf's name. She was the cat that had tormented me- her and Foggyfur- while I was in the apprentice den. Thankfully they both had been made warriors not long after I was made an apprentice, so I didn't have to put up with her. We came to Fourtrees, and ran down into the hollow. We were the last ones there, so the Gathering started as soon as we arrived. Leopardstar was first. "A flood has came into our camp recently, and we were only saved by the quick thinking of Mouseclaw." All heads turned towards me, and I flicked my ear with nervousness. "We are recovering swiftly." continued Leopardstar. I didn't really listen to what the other leaders were saying. Suddenly Firestar was interrupted by our new apprentice, Applepaw, dashing in. "Rouges are attacking Riverclan camp!" she panted out. "Hurry!"

"Leopardstar meowed hurriedly "You must excuse us, Firestar. We must go." Blackstar and Onestar dipped their heads, but Firestar spoke up. "We will come with you."

"Very well." Leopardstar meowed. "But hurry!" we dashed into camp. The ground was dotted with blood, and cats fought for their lives. I leapt, and landed on the back of a golden she-cat. She whipped around in front of me. I scratched her, and she bit my leg. I dug my claws in and she ran off, screeching. The rogues were being forced back. Suddenly I saw Hawkfrost and Leopardstar enter the leader's den together. I suddenly knew that Hawkfrost was going to kill her! I pushed my way through the cats, until I came to the leader's den. I ran in, and saw Hawkfrost holding Leopardstar down, preparing to give t he lethal bite. I jumped and bowled into him, knocking him flat. I pinned him down. He struggled, and successfully scratched me. But I knocked bit his throat, only meaning to get him a good wound. But I accidentally bit the spine, and killed him.

Outside, the rogues were finally driven off. We came out of the den to people gathering around a fallen body. "No!" cried Leopardstar, dashing forward. It was Mistyfoot, she was dead.

At moonhigh, Leopardstar held the ceremony for picking the new deputy. "I say this before the body of Mistyfoot. Let her hear and approve my choice." she paused. "The new deputy will be Mouseclaw." Cats yowled their approval.

"Thank you, Leopardstar. It is an honor." I mewed. Then Leopardstar told the story of Hawkfrost, and how he died. As she finished speaking, a starry cat appeared. Cinderfoot. "The prophecy has been fulfilled." she meowed, and faded away.

That night Grasspelt came to me. "Mouseclaw, I have something very important to tell you." she meowed. "I am going to have your kits!"

"Oh, Grasspelt, that's wonderful!" I mewed happily. That night we slept together, and a feeling of peace came over me. The prophecy had been fulfilled, and life was moving on.


	14. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

I was in the nursery, watching two little bundles of fur. "They're beautiful!" I meowed happily. Grasspelt looked up at me. "What shall we name them?" she asked me. I looked down at the two she-kits. One was white with a black paw and tipped tail, and the other was the exact color of Cinderfoot, total black.

How about Dovekit for the white one?" I mewed thoughtfully. Grasspelt nodded.

"And Cinderkit." she said, nudging the black one. I looked into her eyes, and felt a surge of pride. I was home.


End file.
